Transgender actress Jen Richards has
joined the cast of Nashville as it moves to its new home on
CMT.

Richards will have a recurring role
playing Allyson Del Lago, a “tough but understanding” physical
therapist, Deadline Hollywood reported.

Richards co-wrote and starred in the
Emmy-nominated series Her Story. Other credits include E!'s I
Am Cait, Logo's Beautiful As I Want To Be and AOL's True
Trans with Laura Jane Grace. She will also appear in CBS'
upcoming series Doubt, whose stars include transgender actress
Laverne Cox.

In 2012, Richards launched We Happy
Trans, a website that “celebrates the positive experiences of
transgender people.”

ABC canceled the country music drama in
May after four seasons. Roughly a month later, CMT announced that it
would broadcast the show's fifth season, consisting of 22 episodes.